BCCI called ‘double standard’ by angry Pakistani fans after Cuttack debacle, PCB told to gift ‘Chinese floodlights’

Pakistani fans left no stone unturned to hit back at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after play stopped for close to 30 minutes due to a floodlight failure at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack during the India vs England second ODI on Sunday.

The disruption occurred at the start of India's innings when Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were at the crease. The floodlights in one of the stands flickered a few times during the sixth over, briefly halting play. However, the game resumed without much fuss, with Gus Atkinson finishing his over.

But when it looked like everything was back to normal, it completely went off after Saqib Mahmood bowled the first ball of the seventh over. The Indian openers and some of the England bowlers had a chat with the on-field umpire before heading to their respective dugouts.

Pakistani fans' anger comes days after social media users heavily trolled the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the newly laid floodlights at the Gaddafi Stadium. People blamed the lights for Rachin Ravindra's forehead injury during the Tri-Nation series opener between Pakistan and New Zealand.

The New Zealand opener, fielding at deep square leg, lost sight of the ball coming straight towards him amidst the glare of the floodlights and got hit by the ball on the forehead. It was speculated that the brightness of the floodlights caused Rachin Ravindra to lose sight of the ball.

Not just Team India fans, even former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said the floodlights were to blame for Rachin Ravindra's injury. "The glow is more in such lights. Hence, when the ball travels flat, you are often unable to see it," Rashid Latif said on a show called ‘Caught Behind’.

Notably, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is one of the three venues for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Watch how Pakistani fans reacted

OCA breaks silence on floodlight issue

According to an Indian Express report, the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) acting president Pankaj Lochan Mohanty stated that talks are already on between the state cricket body and the state government to renovate the Barabati Stadium.

"It was supposed to get renovated, this is a very old stadium. We have all the facilities, have made partial renovations as you can see. We have been in talks with the government,” he said.

“Without government funding, we cannot do a complete overhaul. BCCI will support with their infrastructure fund, but we need government support. The new government, they are also keen to develop. They wanted to build another stadium,” he added.

"As there are so many stadiums now, we are getting matches once every two years. So, this stadium will go to waste (if a new cricket stadium is built). So, we told them that whatever facility they want to build, it could be done for other sports while redeveloping this stadium for cricket. It will be renovated. The government will help us to renovate and make it a vibrant stadium again.”